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Preliminary Round Cup update

Find out what stage each State/Territory is at as the journey towards the Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32 continues.

It has been a hectic couple of weeks of Cup action with a plethora of matches taking place around the country.

So just what stage are each of the State/Territories at in the race to secure the coveted Round of 32 spots?

ACT (1 slot)

The first Preliminary Round match in the ACT was played on Tuesday night with Brindabella Blues easing into the next round courtesy of a 6-0 win over Goulburn Strikers at Hawker Football Centre on Tuesday night. Click here for the full match report.

The other two remaining Round 3 ties, which will see Goulburn Stags take on Canberra City CL and Lanyon United against O’Connor Knights, will be played tonight (Thursday 28 April). Click here for details.

ANU FC, White Eagles, Narrabundah FC, Queanbeyan FC and Weston Molongolo FC go straight into the Round 4 draw which will take place on May 4.

NSW (5 slots)

Wagga City Wanderers became the final and 20th club to qualify for Round 6 in New South Wales as the path to the Round of 32 nears the pointy end.

With five spots in the Round of 32 up for grabs in Football NSW the stage is set for an intriguing finale to the Preliminary Rounds.

Eight PlayStation 4 NPL NSW clubs remain in contention although that will be reduced by at least two with a couple of all-NPL match ups in Round 6. APIA Leichhardt host Parramatta FC while Bonnyrigg White Eagles are at home against Hakoah Sydney City East.

Adding to the intrigue of the Preliminary Rounds in NSW is the fact that the pathway for each club is mapped out at the very start of the competition by a solitary draw.

Hence, there are some exciting prospective ties if results go certain ways, none more so than traditional rivals Sydney United 58 FC and Sydney Olympic being on a collision course if they win their respective Round 6 matches.

Notably, one non NPL club is guaranteed a spot in the Round of 32 with the winner of Wagga City Wanderers and Gladesville Ryde Magic to face the winner of St George FA against Bankstown Berries in Round 7.

The Round 6 ties will be played on Wednesday 4 May. Click here for details.

Football NSW already have one entrant confirmed in the last 32 with Blacktown City receiving automatic entry to the Final Rounds as the winner of last year’s PlayStation 4 NPL Finals Series.

Northern NSW (2 slots)

Split into different zones, it is also beginning to near the business end of the Preliminary Rounds in Northern NSW.

Norths United face Tuncurry Forster in a Round 5 encounter on 30 April while Coffs City United tackle Urunga FC in a Round 4 tie on 4 May.

A host of PlayStation 4 NPL clubs, including last year’s Round of 32 entrant Edgeworth FC, also remain in contention for the two spots.

Last year’s Round of 32 entrants Darwin Olympic opened their 2016 Cup campaign with a 4-1 win over Casuarina FC, while Hellenic AC also moved into the next round with a hard fought 3-2 victory against University Azzurri.

Port Darwin proved too good for Mindil Aces in a 3-0 result with the results of the other two matches of Round 4, Litchfield FC v Shamrock Rovers Darwin FC and Stormbirds SC v Verdi FC yet to be updated by Football Federation Northern Territory.

There have been a host of matches and some stunning upsets in the past couple of nights in the Sunshine State, highlighted by Gold Coast City (formerly Palm Beach SC) falling to Surfers Paradise Apollo.

It is the first time Gold Coast City have failed to reach the Final Rounds of the Westfield FFA Cup having made it to the Round of 16 last year and the Quarter Finals in 2014.

Elsewhere, Moggill FC also caused a boil over as they defeated PlayStation 4 NPL side Olympic FC 4-1 away from home.

Sunshine Coast FC consigned their Westfield FFA Cup hoodoo to the history books with a 2-1 win over Woombye Snakes on Tuesday night.

Kobe Fuller and Jeremy Stewart each struck their first goals of the 2016 season to help Fire establish a two goal buffer in the first half.

However, the PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues club found themselves on the back foot through much of the second stanza as they weathered a fightback from the hosts.

Joel Alderson pulled a goal back prior to the hour, however a determined defensive effort from the visitors ultimately prevailed in front of a boisterous local crowd at the venue colloquially known as ‘The Snakepit’. Click here for the full story.

Meanwhile, a ten man Brisbane City prevailed 2-0 in a hard-fought Westfield FFA Cup clash with local rivals Mitchelton FC to record their maiden win in the national knock-out competition.

In a contest littered with missed chances and equal amounts of niggle, City ultimately held their nerve best in front of their home supporters at Corporate Travel Management Stadium. Click here for the full story.

Surfers Paradise Apollo SC won the all glitter strip affair against Gold Coast United, while Sunshine Coast FC, SWQ Thunder, Frenchville and FNQ Heat are all through to Round 6.

Click here for a report on the matches from Football Queensland and click here for all of the results.

SA (1 slot)

The draw for Round 5 in South Australia was conducted yesterday as eight teams vie for one spot in the Round of 32.

The feast of Cup football on Anzac Day threw up some major upsets, with PlayStation 4 NPL clubs West Adelaide and West Torrens Birkalla both ousted by State League clubs, while Adelaide City were also a Round 5 casualty as they lost 2-1 to Adelaide Blue Eagles.

All bar one of the Round 5 Cup ties in Victoria have been decided. One of the matches of the round saw Melbourne Knights stage a remarkable comeback with two goals in 79 seconds to record a come from behind 2-1 win over last year’s Quarter Finalists Oakleigh Cannons.

Staring down the barrel of defeat, the Knights struck in the 89th and 90th minutes to book their passage into the last 16 in Victoria.

Pascoe Vale was the other PlayStation 4 NPL club to exit in Round 5 as they went down to Richmond FC.

Last year’s Semi Finalists, Hume City, remain in contention following a 3-1 win over Dandenong Thunder.